Biodegradable Server Chassis

No matter how much we would like them to, the truth is that servers do not last forever. They last for a few years, and then it is time to replace them with a newer one. What do you do with the old one? Many people recycle them. This is better than throwing them into the trash, but recycling still uses energy and creates waste.

There could be a better solution. Perdue’s College of Technology has a new entrepreneurship program called Tech Ventures. It has teamed up with Open Compute, which was founded by Facebook. They have created an interesting competition. Teams of up to three students can register to enter a challenge to make a server chassis that is biodegradable.

Ultimately, the hope is that the winning design for a biodegradable server chassis will result the creation of more computer parts that can be composted instead of recycled. Imagine being able to put your old computer into your compost bin where it will break down naturally! This concept, of course, has a very long way to go before it can become reality. The first step towards a greener type of server chassis is through the Open Compute Challenge.

Each team that competes in this challenge will get a server to use. The team that creates the winning design will get a trip to attend the Open Compute Summit where they will be able to present the winning design to information technology industry leaders. Perdue will help the winning team to create a prototype of their design for a biodegradable server chassis.